Immortals stand-off Jad Hachem’s superior kicking proved the difference between these two evenly-matched clubs on Saturday as LAU clinched a valuable victory which saw them pull level with their opponents in a tie for second. After 160-minutes of football only two points separates LAU and Jounieh this season following their opening day 18-18 draw. The defending champions and the country’s most successful rugby league club, both of whom have scored 120 points in their five matches, brightened up a murky Bhamdoun afternoon with one of the highest quality matches so far this season. With both teams’ defences so well organized there were very few long breaks made, and a battle for field position ensued.

Jounieh drew first blood after five minutes of reciprocated repeat sets. Put in a good attacking position thanks to a reckless LAU offload, Jounieh’s halfbacks, Danny Chemaly and Roy Abla (pictured, above), linked up in midfield with former Liban Espoir second row Nabil Dora, who managed to barge his way over despite the attention of three defenders. A glaring error from the otherwise dependable Jounieh fullback, Pierre Nasr, then gave LAU the chance to strike back. Freddy Baeani took full advantage, going over in the 16^th minute after Nasr had fumbled a routine clearing kick. Eight minutes later Hachem went over in the corner, brilliantly converting his own try to give the Immortals a 10-4 lead. Al-Galacticos hit back on 31 minutes when the league’s form second row, Ahmad Al Masri, scored his almost obligatory try in the right corner.

Baeani bagged his brace in the 48^th minute, searing past massive Jounieh prop Amer Hachem and then stepping Nasr to score. Then George Rehayem, the former Espoir forward returned from overseas this week, scored on the left after the out of sorts Nasr had fumbled LAU’s sixth tackle clearance kick, with Hachem slotting another tricky conversion to make it 20-8. Al-Galacticos centre Ghassan Dandash hauled the black and golds back to within a score, his slashing run beating three defenders as he scored next to the posts, and then Nasr, doing his utmost to atone for his earlier errors, scored down LAU’s left centre channel with 12 minutes remaining. But LAU held firm, with the result meaning both sides trail Balamand, who have a game in hand, by three points, with the league leaders playing Jounieh on 4 January.